Grant FAQ

Grant Guidelines and Review Criteria

The WW-P Education Foundation strives to support innovative educational programming and other activities in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District by providing grants to district teachers, staff, and students. The WW-P Education Foundation supports activities not provided for in the school budget with the intent that funded projects will have a lasting and positive impact on students.

The WW-P Education Foundation seeks grant proposals that offer novel concepts and strategies that will affect student learning, and support positive values and healthy behavior. Proposals from all district schools, grade levels, and curriculum areas are encouraged. Proposals are evaluated, in part, based on their potential to positively impact students in the areas stated above.

Grants are considered twice a year – in the fall and in the spring. Grants are awarded competitively for projects and activities that foster educational excellence, innovation or assessment of current educational practices.The total amount of money available for each grant cycle varies. In recent years, the WW-P Education Foundation has awarded between $10,000 and $15,000 in total grants annually.

Since the first grants were awarded in 1997, most awards have been in the range of $100 to $1,500, with the average grant award being approximately $750. We are excited to have additional funds for S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) from our corporate sponsors.

• Expenses incurred before the application is approved will not be reimbursed.
• A grant may be offered in an amount less than requested.
• Equipment purchases will normally be approved ONLY when in conjunction with an innovative educational project. WW-P Education Foundation does not typically fund proposals that appear to be primarily for equipment purchases only. This includes SMARTBoards, computers, laptops, digital cameras, printers, LCD projectors, video equipment, etc.
• Purchases of books are normally not funded unless it is connected to an innovative educational program. We do not fund just another “shelf full of books”.
• Food and transportation costs will normally not be funded and/or reimbursed.
• Compensation for the time of district employees or services typically funded by the district, including custodial services, will not be funded and/or reimbursed.
• Costs for shipping/handling must be included in the grant budget. Increases in grant awards will not be made if this cost is not included in the grant application.
• All funded programs must be innovative and educational.

We do not normally provide repeat funding since we believe that successful projects should be included in the district budget after our initial funding.

Who Owns the Equipment and Materials?

All equipment, books and supplies purchased using WW-P Education Foundation funds become the property of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District.

The Grant Application Process

Download an application here and submit your application as a Microsoft Word attachment. All applications must be submitted electronically as an e-mail attachment to info@WWPEducationFoundation.org by 4:00 p.m. on the deadline date. Ideally, grant writers will communicate with their building principals and supervisors prior to submitting the proposal. We request that applications be sent to both your building principal and supervisor for review and approval before you submit to the Foundation. Please copy your principal and supervisor when you submit the grant application to us.

Yes! An email confirmation is sent to the primary grant applicant.

Who Reviews the Application?

Initially, the WW-P Education Foundation Program & Grant Committee meets to review grant requests. The committee develops a recommendation for each grant proposal which is submitted. The recommendations are brought to the full Board of Trustees at their monthly meeting. For each request, the committee may recommend full funding, partial funding, or no funding.

The committee may recommend that a proposal be considered during the next grant cycle due to budget constraints. There is no guarantee the grant application will be approved in the next grant cycle. In evaluating each proposal, the committee considers how innovative the project is, level of need, the number of students impacted, benefits that will be realized from the project, evaluation component, total cost of the proposal, and feasibility of implementing the project.

The WW-P Education Foundation Board of Trustees then meet to vote on the recommendations of the Program & Grant Committee. The committee presents funding recommendations to the WWPEF Board of Trustees. The Trustees vote to approve or modify the recommendations.

Grant applicants are notified by email within one week. All grant applicants will receive an email notification within one week of the Board of Trustees meeting. Grant award letter to the Project Leader. The letter will indicate the amount of the grant, grant period, and any special conditions of the grant.

The Project Leader accepts grant. Included in the grant award packet is a Grant Acceptance Form.

This includes the amount of the grant, corporate sponsors, and any special conditions. The Project Leader completes the form and returns to WW-P Education Foundation c/o Central Office by the deadline noted.

How do I Implement and Promote the Grant?

While implementing a WW-P Education Foundation funded project, it is important to make it known to parents, students, and other constituencies that WW-P Education Foundation funding made the project possible. Please credit the West Windsor-Plainsboro Education Foundation for funding on all flyers, promotional materials, and in school newsletters. See complete Publicity Guidelines on pages 3-4 of the “Excellence in Education” Grant Program Guidelines, Procedures & Application Instructions document.

We encourage grant recipients to prepare Certificates of Participation for students; certificates can be downloaded from the WW-P Education Foundation web site in Microsoft Word. We are now required to submit assessment and evaluation of the programs to our corporate sponsors. At the end of the project, the grantee submits a final program report describing project outcomes and lessons learned. (Please see Final Report/Project Assessment on page 4 of the “Excellence in Education” Grant Program Guidelines, Procedures & Application Instructions document for details.) This report is due when you have completed your project or by the end of your grant period. You will find this date on your grant award and acceptance form.

Thank you for taking the first step in applying for a grant. Each proposal must be organized according to the outline below. Proposals should convey a vision for the project, but should be concise and to the point. References to state or national teaching and learning standards should only be cited if they are explicitly related to your project. Grant proposals that are directly linked to district or building goals are strongly encouraged. Projects that have specific and measurable outcomes will be given priority over proposals that do not include a clear way to determine the outcome of a project.

Project Applicants and Contact Information

Include names of all teachers/staff, title(s) and school(s) involved. For projects involving more than one person, designate one Project Leader. The Project Leader will be responsible for coordinating the project, submitting the financial forms, and the final report. This person will be the primary person for the grant.

The title should be concise, fun, and descriptive of the project.

Amount Requested

The amount requested should be the same as the total requested in the Budget section at the end of the proposal. Please round up to the nearest dollar.

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary should be a one paragraph description of the proposal which includes: 1) general goal(s); 2) general methods of implementation; and 3) specific outcomes with description of how they will be measured.

Needs Statement

Describe the rationale for the project. Answer the question: “What problem or need will the project address?

Project Description

What do you want to do and how will you do it? The Project Description should be concise, but give a complete description of the project. Describe the activities (actions) you will take to deliver the program. Give a tentative timeline. Describe how your proposed project is linked to the district or building goals.

Outcomes/Assessment

What are the projected outcomes of the project? Outcomes include how the target group benefits or changes from the program. What do you hope to accomplish? Will there be an increase in knowledge, skills, or changes in behavior? Be specific as to how many students and/or staff will be impacted by the project. How will you measure outcomes? Include details of the criteria, procedures and data that would provide evidence of success for the program. (Note: It is okay if at the end of the year if your program does not have the outcomes you had hoped for. This will be in the “lessons learned” in the final report.)

Budget and Itemized Costs

Provide an itemized list of expenses. Describe what is to be funded by WW-P Education Foundation, and what items will be funded by your school, the district, or other sources including PTA/PTSA. Please read guidelines on what expenses are allowable. Do not forget to include the shipping/handling cost. Please round up amount requested to the nearest dollar.

For More Help

If you would like assistance in preparing a proposal, or just want to run your idea by a supportive person, feel free to e-mail us at grants@WWPEducationFoundation.org.

Completed applications must be attached to an email and sent to WW-P Education Foundation at grants@wwpEducationFoundation.org and received BEFORE 4:00 pm on the due date. Thank you for your commitment to and passion for education. We look forward to receiving your application.